The National tribune., 1887-10-13
ATLANTA.
The Brilliant Conduct OF the Fifteenth Corps In
that engagement.

that engagement.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Referring to
the letter of Comrade Thos. J. Shelly. Slst
Ohio, relating to the battle of July %, 1854. in
front Of Atlanta, desire 20 correct misstate-
ment Of facts unintentionally made no doubt,
as often happens when one attempts TO narrate
from personal observation alone the general
operations and movement of an army in battle.
Comrade Shelly correctly states the fOrma-
tion of the Army OF the Tennessee in the bat
tie Of the 22d-the Fifteenth Corps (Logan) on
the right, the Seventeeth (Bair) on the left,
and the Sixteenth (Dodge) 10 the left and rear
of the Seventeenth, where il did such splendid
fighting, as the Army of the Tennessee always
did on every field, where its banners ever foated
in triumph.
The general plan Of Hood was to throw the
bulk Of his army, by wide detour, suddenly
upon the left and rear of the Seventeenth
Corps, supposed TO be in air and exposed, as 1t
in fact, expecting to roll il up aud crush it as
Jackson did the Eleventh Corps at ChancellOrs-
vile. The plan Of the enemy came TO grief. and
in turn they were rolled back after hours OF SUI
perb, matchless fighting and heroic courage by
the troops on that exposed flank.
But the old Fifteenth Corps was there, and
bore its full share of fighting, which, as Kearny
once gleefuly remark ed, was splendid all along
the whole linen and fully justified the conf
dence often expressed by Grant, Sherman, Nc
Pherson and Logan in its fighting qualities-a
confidence earned while following the fortunes
of those trusted leaders from Donelson, Shiloh
and Corinth TO Yicksburg and on the Chatta-
nooga.
Comrade Shelly says that about o'clock in
the afternoon Gen. Logan called on Gen.
Dodge for a brigade of the Sixteenth Corps
miles away TO the left of the Seventeenth) TO
help retake the lost works of the Fifteenth
Corps; that his brigade was sent, his regiment
being the Slst Ohio. He then describes how
they marched i'm hot haste two miles; how
they charged and found the enemy in the
works with " four brass cannon pointed at
them" which they proceeded TO capture. rout-
ing the enemy, and that the " four brass can
non proved 10 be the celebrated De Gress bat
terry" over whose recaPture there has been
so much idle controversy among careless
writers, because the official records and Sher-
mans Memoirs. so easy of access. show the
fact that the battery and the small portion OF
the works temporarily taken and held by the
enemy, were retaken by the troops of the First
and Second Divisions of the Fifteenth Corps.
Even Comrade Shelly must see that he is in
/ error, and was evidently describing some ex-
perience of his brigade farther to the left, be-
cause the DE Gress battery was not "brass guns
at all, bat 20pounder PARROTS, blacker than the
ace of spades, as every well-informed soldier OF
the army well knows.
army was so badly frightened that day that he
could not readily distinguish little brass gun
| from 2O-pound black Parrott and the conclu-
sion is irresistible that the exploits described
by Comrade Shelly were not on that part Of the
line.
In fact, the Fifteenth Corps was never driven
from position on that field or any other IL is
true that heavy column Of the enemy did
plunge through the railroad cut as suggested
"a oar in ha I'M hot EiFcf
and Second Divisions, taking Lightburn's little
| brigade OF the Second Division in reverse and
| flank. and that brigade fell back a few hun
/ dred yards, uncoyering DE Gress's battery
which, with a portion of the works on either
side, was captured, and for a short time held by
the enemy, aud things looked a little blue
about there for time.
But instead Of Logan calling for a brigade oil
the Sixteenth Corps 10 recapture the works
! knowing that such brigade would have e
march several miles, passing by the entire
| front or rear of the Seventeenth next on oul
left, he called on the First and Third Brigade:
OF the First Division of the Fifteenth Corps
already on the ground, and these, with the bri
gade Of the Second Division that had been
thrown back inside of 10 minutes from tn,
! loss of the battery furiously assaulted the enc
my with an old-fashioned Fifteenth Corps yell
and, by what sherman calls brilliant charge
speedily disodged the enemy, recaptured d.
| Gress's guns, restoring the line and rolling the
discounted enemy back toward Atlanta.
This is substantially the statement of Gen
Sherman aud the official reports. The Six
teenth Corps, like the Seventeenth, covered
itself with glory that day, as il ever did, and
the Fifteenth always did its duty. The mutua
love and confidence between John A. Logar
and the bronzed veterans of the Fifteenth
Corps, differed by such known fighters a
Smith, Hazen, Woods, 0sterhaus, Corse anC
others, were so strong that he would have offer
cd battle TO the whole Confederate army if nee
essary, and this would have been more charac
terislic Of Logan than 10 call at once for a bri
gade Of the Sixteenth Corps TO repair a Sigh
breach in the line or recover a battery, espe
cially when whole division Of his own Eff
teenth Corps stood ready and anxious to rusl
TO the rescue, as il did SO calamity and efec
lively, as described by Gen. Sherman.
The Fifteenth. Sixteenth and Seventeenth
Corps, constituting the old Army of the Ten
nessee, led successfully by Grant, Sherman
Mcpherson aud Logan, with its long, unbrokel
line Of victories, has a right TO be proud of it
history, and each corps in turn must be par
dOned Cor a seeming jealousy in guarding it
own laurels now rs il did the honor, the integ
rity and flag Of the Union in the days of il
great, dark peril. - LYMAN u. HUMPHREY
7Gth Ohio, First Brigade, First Division, Eff
teenth Corps, Independence, Kan.